Digital Commons Network^™

Fitting Event-History Models To Uneventful Data, Douglas A. Wolf, Thomas M. Gill

Center for Policy Research

Data with which to study disability dynamics usually take the form of successive current-status measures of disability rather than a record of events or spell durations. One recent paper presented a semi-Markov model of disability dynamics in which spell durations were inferred from sequences of current-status measures taken at 12-month intervals. In that analysis, it was assumed that no unobserved disablement transitions occurred between annual interviews. We use data from a longitudinal survey in which participants' disability was measured at monthly intervals, and simulate the survival curves for remaining disabled that would be obtained with 1- and 12-month follow-up intervals. …

Parental Education Levels And Their Effect On First Year Retention And Grade Point Ratio, Jon Christiansen

All Theses

Background/Problem: Education is an important factor in economic success. This research explores how relevant parental education is to their children's education by studying first year college retention as well as first year cumulative grade point ratio. Purpose: By what probability is retention increased on average if a mother or father becomes a high school graduate or a college graduate? Also, by what amount is grade point ratio affected if a mother or father becomes a high school graduate or a college graduate? Design and Methods: A random sample of 844 students who filled out the FAFSA at a southern public …

Essays On Intrahousehold Allocation And The Family: Fertility, Child Education, And Nutrition, Alemayehu Azeze Ambel

Dissertations

Understanding the constraints that households face when making decisions on fertility, education, and health is beneficial for effective interventions aimed at enhancing investments in human capital, promoting gender equity, and reducing poverty. This dissertation consists of four essays that analyze the nature, performance, and determinants of fertility, child education, and nutritional status in a developing economy.

The first essay identifies peculiar constraints, including gender preference and income uncertainty that households face when making fertility and schooling choices. The underlying assumption in the theoretical analysis is that in the absence of formal risk and capital markets, households may revert to informal …

Risk And Recovery, John Austin, Chris Decker, Tom Doering, Ernie Goss, Bruce Johnson, Lisa Johnson, Ken Lemke, Franz Schwarz, Scott Strain, Eric Thompson, Keith Turner

Economics Faculty Publications

The crisis in the housing and financial sectors has led to a dramatic slowdown in U.S. economic growth. Fourth quarter GDP growth and job growth are expected to be anemic and the economy may fall into recession in 2008. Indeed, several of the dozen members of the Nebraska Business Forecast Council do believe that the U.S. economy will likely slip into recession during 2008. However, the overall consensus of the Council is that the U.S. economy will avoid a recession. Economic growth will be slow in the first three quarters of 2008 before recovering in late 2008 and 2009.

5 Women's Status And Children's Food Security In Pakistan, Basudeb Guha‐Khasnobis, Gautam Hazarika

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

This chapter examines the role of women's intra-household status relative to men's in children's food security in Pakistan. Data from the 1991 Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS) yield a measure of evidence of a positive relation between women's intra-household status and children's food security.

Geographic Decomposition Of Inequality In Health And Wealth: Evidence From Cambodia, Tomoki Fujii

Research Collection School Of Economics

The small-area estimation developed by Elbers, Lanjouw and Lanjouw (2002, 2003), in which a census and a survey are combined to produce the estimates of welfare measures for small geographic areas, has become a standard tool for poverty analysis in developing countries. The small-area estimates are typically plotted on a map, which are commonly called a poverty map. Poverty maps proved useful for policy analysis and formulation, and have become increasingly popular among policy-makers and researchers. In Cambodia, poverty maps have been used by various international organizations, ministries and non-governmental organizations for analyzing the poverty situations for their operation areas, …

A Structural Analysis Of Higher Education Government Relations Organizations And Their Relationship To State Funding, Randall Brumfield

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Competing interests for state government funding have affected the status of public higher education as a budget priority. State legislators and executive officeholders are increasing appropriations to areas such as public K-12 education, health care, infrastructure, and social services programs at the expense of state colleges and universities. As such the higher education community must effectively utilize its government relations organizations to communicate with elected officials the importance of state funding. The purpose of the study was to identify the functional and personnel trends existing within government relations offices, and, to determine the extent a relationship may exist between organizational …

Paying To Save: Tax Withholding And Asset Allocation Among Low- And Moderate-Income Taxpayers, Michael S. Barr, Jane Dokko

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

We analyze the phenomenon that low- and moderate-income (LMI) tax filers exhibit a “preference for over-withholding” their taxes, a measure we derive from a unique set of questions administered in a dataset of 1,003 households, which we collected through the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan. We argue that the relationship between their withholding preference and portfolio allocation across liquid and illiquid assets is consistent with models with present-biased preferences, and that individuals exhibit self-control problems when making their consumption and saving decisions. Our results support a model in which individuals use commitment devices to constrain their consumption. …

November 2007, Syracuse Department Of Economics

Economics - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Does Welfare Reform Work In Rural America? A 7-Year Follow-Up, Ann Tickamyer, Debra Henderson, Barry Tadlock

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Even before the advent of welfare reform, studies of low income working and welfare dependent groups showed that low wage working women are worse off than those who combine welfare with other income sources and that most used a wide variety of livelihood strategies. This is especially the case in poor rural settings where work is scarce and additional obstacles to employment such as lack of transportation and childcare are endemic. Data from a selfadministered survey of users of human service agency programs in four counties in a distressed region of Appalachian Ohio in 1999, 2001, and 2005, provide a …

Do Tobacco-Control Programs Lower Tobacco Consumption? Evidence From California, Michael L. Marlow

Economics

California is often considered the model for tobacco-control programs due to its early adoption of comprehensive programs aimed at lowering tobacco consumption. Tobacco control began when voters approved the California Tobacco Tax and Health Promotion Act of 1988. More than $2 billion has been spent on tobacco-control in California since 1988. The findings of this article indicate that tobacco-control spending is a significant factor for the widening gap between consumption in the United States and in California only in equations that exclude cigarette prices and smoking bans as control variables. When significant, however, estimates suggest that, for every $1 increase …

Affective Decision Making: A Behavioral Theory Of Choice, Anat Bracha, Donald J. Brown

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Affective decision-making (ADM) is a refutable and predictive theory of individual choice under risk and uncertainty. It generalizes expected utility theory by positing the existence of two cognitive processes — the “rational” and the “emotional” process. Observed choice is the result of their simultaneous interaction. We present a model of affective choice in insurance markets, where risk perceptions are endogenous.

Affective Decision Making: A Behavioral Theory Of Choice, Anat Bracha, Donald J. Brown

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Affective decision-making is a strategic model of choice under risk and uncertainty where we posit two cognitive processes — the “rational” and the “emotional” process. Observed choice is the result of equilibirum in this intrapersonal game. As an example, we present applications of affective decision-making in insurance markets, where the risk perceptions of consumers are endogenous. We then derive the axiomatic foundation of affective decision making, and show that, although beliefs are endogenous, not every pattern of behavior is possible under affective decision making.

Managing Through Strategic Agendas, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The author discusses the development of the Balanced Scorecard and strategic agendas on solving social and economic problems by the government. She stated reasons why organizations or countries choose to establish strategic agendas, such as it helps develop a vision, serves as a framework for monitoring government and nonprofit performance, and develops political platform. She concluded that its establishment is vital to success in developing countries and in the federal system of government.

Islamic Finance, Inclusive Growth, And Poverty Alleviation, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Talks, Speeches, & Discourse

Most of the attention on Islamic finance has so far been focused on the regulatory framework, products and services offered, comparability with conventional finance, risk management characteristics, Shariah compliance, and expansion and penetration issues. Very little work has been done to explore the unique features of Islamic finance for the larger good of the society particularly in the context of economic growth and poverty alleviation. I would argue this morning that Islamic finance can be a powerful tool for inclusive growth and amelioration of the conditions of poor in the Muslim countries. Let me clarify at the outset as to …

Immigrants And Their International Money Flows, Susan Pozo Editor

Upjohn Press

This book consists of a series of studies on the topic of international migration with an emphasis on workers' remittances. Chapters cover the impact of remittances on economic development and the interplay of immigration policies with human capital acquisition and labor markets in out-migration areas.

Income Vs. Race Effects In Refund Anticipation Loan Utilization, Richard J. Smith

Social Work Faculty Publications

This purpose of this paper is to illustrate how data can target outreach for social and economic justice by testing for an association between refund anticipation loan (RAL) utilization and a Zip code’s racial and income characteristics. RALs are rapid tax refunds marketed by tax preparers.

Tourism In Lugu Hu: Helpful Or Harmful? Examining The Impact Of Tourism On Lugu Lake’S People And Environment, Joana Chan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Is tourism a boon or burden to the land and the people that it impacts? This question has plagued academics for ages. On the one hand, tourism brings not only definite economic growth for the local people, but also motivation for preservation of the local landscape. On the other hand, the arrival of tourists also ironically brings definite cultural and environmental transformations to the very people and land that visitors travel so far to see and experience.

My research examines the complexities of tourism and its impact on the environment and people of Lugu Lake, Yunnan. By surveying social and …

The Business Of Healthcare: A Slippery Slope?, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

In Singapore, healthcare consumes 3.7% of GDP and is rising. Jeremy Lim, director of policy and research at Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), was the featured speaker at a recent Singapore Management University Wee Kim Wee Centre event. Lim trained as a surgeon before moving into healthcare management and health services research. He talked to Knowledge@SMU about the business opportunities and challenges in Singapore’s healthcare sector.

Measurement Error In Earnings Data In The Health And Retirement Study, Jessie Bricker, Gary V. Engelhardt

Economics - All Scholarship

We provide new evidence on the extent of measurement error in respondent-reported earnings data by exploiting detailed W-2 records matched to older workers in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Our empirical findings are qualitatively consistent with the findings of previous studies. Mean measurement error in the 1991 HRS earnings data for men is somewhat larger than what has been found in other validation studies, but is still modest, averaging about 0.059 log points, approximately 5.9 percent, or $1,500. For women in 1991, it is 0.067 log points, approximately 6.7 percent, or $916. We find a negative correlation between the …

Pinning Down The Value Of Statistical Life, Thomas J. Kniesner, W. Kip Viscusi, Christopher Woock, James P. Ziliak

Economics - All Scholarship

Our research addresses fundamental long - standing concerns in the compensating wage differentials literature and its public policy implications: the econometric properties of estimates of the value of statistical life (VSL) and the wide range of such estimates from about $0.5 million to about $21 million. We address most of the prominent econometric issues by applying panel data, a new and more accurate fatality risk measure, and systematic selection of panel estimator in our research. Controlling for measurement error, endogeneity, individual heterogeneity, and state dependence yields both a reasonable average level and narrow range for the estimated value of a …

Child Labour And Microfinance In Morocco: Using Microfinance To Reduce Child Labour And The Case Of The Al Amana Microfinance Institution, Kristyn Schomp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Approximately 218 million children are child laborers worldwide. These children work as agricultural workers, prostitutes, handicraft producers, and in virtually in every other form of employment imaginable. But although the problem of child labour has been one of recent international focus, there are still 126 million children involved in some form of hazardous work each year.

The existence of such statistics can be attributed in part to the complex and multi-faceted nature of child labour. Similarly, the reasons for child labour can range from economic and political instability, migration, lack of work, and/or poor school systems. Therefore, the reduction of …

Development In Our Own Words: A Survey Of Development Perspectives Between Cameroonians And Americans In Yaoundé, Cameroon, Frieda L. Arenos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

It is said that development addresses the quality and progression of life; that a country be self-sustainable in accessing its resources, educating its children, curing its sick, and guaranteeing its citizens contribution to a sufficient political and social environment. If the term is so, how do we justify development on a world scale? Do development projects that begin in the West have the same capacity for efficiency in the Third World? How does development aid make certain that those who are in need receive what they are promised? This paper is a field-based case study that analyzes in first the …

Structural And Financial Constraints For Arabica Coffee Planters, Chloe Wardropper

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Arabica coffee production in Cameroon is struggling. Coffee growers and their plants are aging rapidly due to a lack of incentives to continue production. The downturn in arabica production started in the 1980’s, with the drop in the world price of coffee and the privatization of formerly government-run programs and agricultural cooperatives. Financial problems continue today because there are no structures to replace those organizations which offered financial and technical support. This paper will examine the constraints facing arabica coffee growers today and the options available to them for the amelioration of their situation. This is achieved primarily through interviews …

People Moving Matters: Theorizing Tourism And Migration On The Nepali ‘Periphery’, Adam Linnard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many papers and presentations pertaining to tourism have started something like the following:

The World Tourism Organization in its 1996/97 report states that 255 million people are employed in the tourism-related industries, which is one in every nine people employed in the world, making it the world’s number one industry and larger than the oil, automobile or weapons industries. Tourism also contributed US$653 billion to the international economy in the form of different tourism-related taxes. There is an annual growth rate of 4% in the world’s tourism market. (Bajracharya & Shakya, 1998)

Now this one begins that way, too.

It …

Upper Rio Grande At Work Client Satisfaction Survey 2007, Daniel J. Quiñones, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden

IPED Technical Reports

The Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was contracted by the Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Board (URGWDB) to conduct a client satisfaction survey as one component of a larger evaluation project. For purposes of this survey, “client” refers to businesses that have used URGWDB’s services such as job posting and job fair assistance. Client satisfaction as defined in this survey includes how well job seekers were matched with potential jobs and the customer service clients received from URGWDB staff. The goal of this research is to assess the performance …

Upper Rio Grande At Work Customer Satisfaction Survey 2007, Daniel J. Quiñones, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden

IPED Technical Reports

The Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was contracted by the Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Board (URGWDB) to conduct a customer satisfaction survey as one component of a larger evaluation project. Customer satisfaction as defined in this survey includes quality of training/instructional facilities and equipment as well as overall effectiveness of URGWDB services. The goal of this research is to assess the quality of URGWDB as a provider of services designed to help workers gain employment and as an organization that has the processes in place to adapt and …

Wright State University Regional Economic Report, Fall 2007, Thomas L. Traynor, Jessica Livingston

Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Individual, Regional And State Economic Impacts Of Kentucky Community And Technical Colleges, Glenn C. Blomquist, Paul A. Coomes, Christopher Jepsen, Brandon Koford, Barry Kornstein, Kenneth R. Troske

CBER Research Report

Excerpt from the executive summary:

This report presents the results of our nine-month effort to measure the economic value of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), both directly to its students around the state, and indirectly to all residents of Kentucky. We find wide public support for KCTCS, and a willingness to pay for an expansion of its programs. We also find a large variation in the individual returns to community and technical college education, in terms of expected work-life earnings by gender and by region of the state.

Watered Down: The Intersection And Integration Of Tourism Development And Water Resource Management In Marrakech, Morocco, Alison Maassen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.